Featured Hike: Specimen Creek Trail

Some places are too special to keep secret. The Specimen Creek
Trail, popular among locals but lesser known among those visiting Yellowstone
from out of state, offers easy but spectacular day hikes.

Area residents use the versatile trail year-round for
hiking, horseback riding, fly fishing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.
Backpackers connect from it to other trails to reach a series of backcountry
lakes.

Adding to the trail's popularity among day hikers is its
location in the far northwest corner of Yellowstone
National Park. Just six miles south
of the Park's northern boundary, outside of entrance gates, it is very
accessible from West
Yellowstone, Big Sky, and Bozeman. Overnighters will need to have a backcountry permit.

But the real draw is the remarkable scenery. From the moment
you take off from the trailhead, you will be rewarded with majestic natural
beauty, unlike other trails where the wow-factor may come many miles into a
hike.

The out-and-back trail is four miles in length, for an eight
mile round-trip hike. Those short on time or motivation can turn around at the
fork in the creek (see "If You Go," below) for a four-mile round-trip
hike. The streamside trail will please hikers of varying experience levels;
with merely 240 feet of elevation gain, it is mostly flat.

What You Will See

Specimen Creek Trail traverses alpine meadows with a few gentle,
rolling hills, and awe-inspiring views of the Gallatin Range.
Wildflowers abound in the summer, and fall serves up countless shades of golden
vegetation.

The wide-open vistas present ample opportunities to spot
wildlife from a safe distance. Visitors are likely to see elk, deer, and moose
in the meadows, and raptors flying overhead.
Black or grizzly bears are occasionally seen in the area.

In spots, huge rocks tower over both sides of Specimen
Creek. If you're on the lookout, petrified trees—wood turned into rock by
volcanic ash deposits—can be seen in the rock
walls that border the creek. In fact, the creek
was named in homage to these "specimens," which are more plentiful in
the adjacent Gallatin Petrified Forest.

Recent Improvements

In the summers of 2012 and 2013, the Specimen Creek Trail
was restored through the Yellowstone Park Foundation's Trails Fund
Initiative (see article in this issue). National Park Service
and Montana Conservation Corps trail crews constructed a half-mile of new trail to reroute a section damaged by recurring
overflows of the North Fork of Specimen Creek. Several additional and heavily
eroded sections were reconstructed, and/or elevated and filled, smoothing the
way for a safer and more enjoyable hike.

If You Go:

Specimen Creek Trail is accessible from a small parking lot
on the east side of U.S. 191, roughly 15 miles south of Big Sky, MT and 25
miles north of West Yellowstone.

Bears have been spotted in the area, so be sure to bring
your bear spray, and hike in groups of three or more.

About two miles in from the trailhead you will reach a fork
in the trail. If you travel straight ahead you will continue on your Specimen
Creek adventure. For an enticing picnic spot, take a right turn and walk 100 feet
along the Sportsman Lake Trail. There
you will find a 30-foot stock bridge crossing Specimen Creek, next to a scenic
rest stop and swimming hole.

Those desiring a shorter hike of 4 miles round trip should
turn around at the fork in the trail mentioned above, where Sportsman Lake
Trail begins.

The Yellowstone Park Foundation, a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization, works in cooperation with the National Park Service to fund projects and programs that protect, preserve, and enhance the natural and cultural resources and the visitor experience of Yellowstone National Park.